Sanitary napkin



May 9, 1939. E. EJGLOMSTEAD' 21,075

SANITARY NAPKIN -0riginal Filed Feb. 16, 1932 Reissuecl May 9, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SANITARY NAPKIN Original No. 1,857,854,dated May 10, 1932, Serial No. 593,360, February 16, 1932. Applicationfor reissue July 6, 1937, Serial No. 152,265

5 Claims.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a sanitary napkinof superior iorm fitting characteristics, that is to say, to provide asanitary napkin in which the pad element is so formed that itsendportions will have a decided tendency to maintain a normal flatcondition and to flt snugly against the body without protrudingsufiiciently to cause any anxiety to the wearer that the presence of thenapkin will be detectable by reason of any bulge or the like in thedress of the person. The improved construction is of particularadvantage when tight fitting dresses are worn, but the increased comfortof a smooth and close fitting sanitary napkin renders the improvementadvantageous and desirable without regard to the style of clothing worn.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood byreference to the following specification and accompanying drawing inwhich is illustrated a sanitary napkin embodying a selected form of theimproved construction.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective, a portion of the wrapper being unfolded todisclose the interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectionpn the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the pad element alone but to substantiallythe shape which it takes when worn. r

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the pad element when in the conditionillustrated in Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one end portion of the pad element. 7

Referring now to the drawing, the improved sanitary napkin thereinillustrated includes -a pad element [which is surrounded by a gauze orlike textile material wrapper 9. The pad element I is elongated and hasrounded ends as indicated at l0 and the gauze wrapper is also elongatedand folded longitudinally around the pad element so that its sidemarginal portions II and I2 overlap the top side of the pad. The gauzewrapper extends considerably beyond the ends of the pad element 8 toform attachment flaps such as indicated at 9".

The pad element 8 is preferably formed of a plurality of relativelysuperposed layers or sheets 01' cellulose wadding, i. -e., crepe paper.Such a pad has a very high capacity for absorption and it has been foundto be very soft and flexible so that it is well-adapted for sanitarynapkin purposes.

According to the present invention, the end portions of the pad elementare treated so as to stiffen the end portions transversely andpreferably to taper the normal thickness of the pad to a comparativelythin end. This result maybe veifected by compressing orcompacting theends of the pad in areas spaced slightly inwardly from the end edge ofthe napkin as indicated at l3.

The pressure required to effect the desired result may vary withdifferent materials and with different runs of any one material, such ascrepe paper, whereforeit is impracticable to definitely specify in termsof pounds per square inch the minimum pressure required. However, it maybe stated that to attain the object of the invention in its preferredform, the pressure should be sufsoftness of said margin constitutes thesame a cushion at the edge of said compacted area,

whereby said edge, which obviously is relatively hard and harsh, isprevented from causing chafing of the wearer.

By compressing the end portions of the pad in the manner just described,the sheets or layers of paper which form the pad are united, in effect,welded together so that they will resist separation and relativeslippage both longitudinally and transversely. In this way the area I3is also stiffened so that it tends to retain its normal fiat condition.

When a napkin embodying the described pad construction is applied, thebody portion of the pad element intermediate its ends is foldedlongitudinally and downwardly so as to present a smooth, convex topsurface It and the opposite ends of the pad are turned upwardly to lieflat against the body. The compressed and stiflened area I! serves tomaintain the end portions substantially flat so as to avoid any bulgingeffect at the ends of the pad. As evident from an inspection of Fig. 3,the compacting of the ends of the pad element is preferably eflected in'such a manner asto maintain the top I6 of the pad substantially flatthroughout its length and so as to eilect the tapering of the thicknessof the pad at its ends principally on the bottom or outside of the padelement. Hence, when 'the pad assumes the condition illustrated in Figs.4,5 and 6, the tapered portion I! of the pad assumes a position in whichit does not project materially beyond the plane of the extreme endportion of the pad. Hence, bulging does not occur at a point spacedbelow the extreme end of the pad. The thinness of the extreme ends ofthe pad also serves to avoid any bulging effect of such extremities.

When a napkin is applied, it is ordinarily suspended from a belt orunderg'arment to which it is secured at each end either by means of asingle buckle, safety pin or other fastening means, thus concentratingthe upward draft or pull mainly along the centerline of the gauzewrapper. This centerline pull has a tendency to crease. or wrinkle theend portions of the pad, more orless in continuation of the fold of theintermediate portion of the pad. This tendency is effectively resistedby the stiffened area I! so that the body hugging characteristic of thepad ends is insured.

Changes may be made in the described construction without departing fromthe spirit of the invention, the scope of which, should be determined byreference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadlyas possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent pad which is disintegrablein water, an area adjacent but spaced inwardly from an end of the padbeing compacted sufliciently to form an area of permanently reducedthickness and of such stiffness that it tends to maintain the adjacentend portions of the pad in substantially flat condition when the napkinis worn, the marginal portion of said pad intermediate said compactedarea and the adjacent end of the pad being reduced in thickness from thenormal thickness of the pad as an incident to the compacting of saidarea, but said marginal portion retaining sufficient softness toconstitute a non-chafing cushion at the edge of said compacted area.

2. A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent pad formed of a pluralityof relatively superposed plies of crepe P per, an area adjacent butspaced inwardly from an end of the pad and located substantially in theplane of one face of the' pad being compacted sufficiently to, ineffect,weld said plies together to prevent relative shifting thereof and toform a hardened area of permanently reduced thickness and of suchstiffness that it tends to maintain the adiacent em!v poitions of thepad in substantially flat condition when the napkin is worn, themarginal portion of said pad intermediate said compacted area and theadjacent end of the pad being reduced in thickness from the normalthickness of the pad as an incident to the compacting of said area, butsaid marginal portion retaining sufficient softness to constitute anon-chafing cushion at the edge of said compacted area.

3. A sanitary'napkin comprising an absorbent pad element which isdisintegrable in water and a wrapper of textile material, the padelement having an area in an end portion thereof compacted sufficientlyto produce an area of compression permanently reduced in thickness relative to the normal thickness of the pad, one surface of said area beingsubstantially offset relative to the normal surface of the pad and therebeing an angularly disposed surface portion intervening between andconnecting said surfaceof the compressed area with said normal surfaceof the pad, said area serving to stiffen such end portion sufllcientlyto main the same in substantially flat condition when the napkin isapplied. 7

4. A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent pad element and-a wrapperof textile material, the pad element being formed of superposed plies ofcrepe paper and having an area in an end portion thereof compactedsufficiently to produce an area of compression wherein the plies aremechanically united strongly enough to prevent.v

relative shifting thereof and wherein the thickness is permanentlyreduced, said area of compression serving to stiifen said end portionsufflciently to maintain the same in substantially flat condition whenthe napkin .is applied, one

surface of said area being substantially otl'set relative to the normalsurface of the pad and there being an angularly disposed surface portionintervening between and connecting said surface of the compressed areato thenormal surface of .the pad. i

5. A sanitary napkin comprising an absorbent pad formed of a pluralityof relatively supe p sed plies of crepe paper, an area of the padadjacent but spaced inwardly from an end thereof being compactedsufliciently to mechanically unite said plies in said area topreventrelative shifting of said plies and to form a hardened area ofpermanently reduced thickness and of such stiffness that said area tendsto maintain the adjacent endportion of the pad in substantially flat.condition when the napkin is worn, the marginal portion of said padintermediate said compacted area and the adjacent end of the pad beingreduced in thickness from the normal thickness of the pad as an incidenttothecompacting of said 'area but said marginal portion retainingsuflicient softness to constitute a nonchafing cushion in the edge ofsaid compacted area. j

, EDWIN E. GLOMSTEAD.

